


maybe the dawn remembers the touch of lonely people

by sleepingnerd



Series: OzTennant's Flufftober 2018 [3]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Bruce loves him anyway, Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Flufftober 2018, M/M, Science Bros, Slice of Life, Tony Stark Still Has Arc Reactor, Tony is a terrible cook, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-04
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-07-25 00:09:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16186037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepingnerd/pseuds/sleepingnerd
Summary: "It was actually kind of curious, how he could never pinpoint how “I” became “we”.Tony just had a way of slipping past his defenses. Almost without his notice, it became unnatural to turn to make a silly science pun and have no one answer it. The notion terrified him a bit, because nothing good in his life tended to last, and yet Bruce wouldn't trade it for anything in the world."loving becomes easy, if it's with Tony





	1. you can guide a genius to a kitchen, but you cannot make him cook

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!  
> This will be a series of snippets of Bruce and Tony's life because their love deserves more attention. I'll mostly write this for the [Flufftober](http://giucorreias.tumblr.com/post/178632259369/so-i-was-looking-around-and-noticed-there-were-a) challenge, created by giucorreiras, so I will probably add more tags later. I hope you can all enjoy this!  
> The title is from a poem by M. Wolf (@mwolfpoetry on instagram), and the prompt of the day is "hot".

It was truly baffling, how horrible Tony was at cooking.

Tony Stark, genius engineer and inventor. The man who had created the first fully self-conscious AI, and built an engineering miracle out of metal junk in a cave, and he couldn't even make a toast without turning it into a piece of charcoal.

Not that Bruce was any kind of expert, either, but he at least knew his way around a bacon and some eggs, even pancakes on the days he felt particularly indulging. Cooking for himself became a necessity when he was on run and never really knew what the next meal was going to be, and so the fulfilling, cheap stuff turned into his specialty.

That wasn't much of a worry anymore, now that he lived in the Tower and had a whole floor for himself. Bruce still couldn't believe it, sometimes. He’d wake up and the bed would be too soft, the windows too wide, the space too good to be his.

Being with Tony… helped.

Tony had a way to make everything just a bit like sunshine. When the walls closed in on Bruce and all he could think about was the taste of a bullet, he’d appear out of nowhere, with a sparkle in his way too knowing eyes. “I know how we can make some trouble”, he’d say, smiling, and suddenly the air would be a little easier to breathe.

(It was actually kind of curious, how he could never pinpoint how “I” became _“we”._ Tony just had a way of slipping past his defenses. Almost without his notice, it became unnatural to turn to make a silly science pun and have no one answer it. The notion terrified him a bit, because nothing good in his life tended to last, and yet Bruce wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.)

And so they would spend most of their time in the lab together, talking and joking or even just being in each other’s presence. Going to bed together came as a consequence, both for sleep and… related activities. It shouldn't come as a surprise that they would eventually eat with each other, although Bruce never thought much of how they mostly seemed to eat takeouts.

And so Bruce wasn't even slightly suspicious when Tony announced, with a determined glint on his eyes, that he would make them hot cocoa, to go along with the trashy Halloween movie they were about to watch.

He now deeply regretted his lack of attention.

“How can you even mess up hot cocoa?” Bruce asked bewildered, peering over his mug. The liquid was thick and dark, with a few pieces of burnt marshmallow sprinkled on top. The overwhelming amount of sugar seemed to only make the bitterness stronger. “It’s literally just mixing chocolate powder with milk.” 

“I was only trying to make it better!” He said, pouting. “My genius can never be truly appreciated.” With a grumble, Tony took a sip and immediately spat it out, grimacing.

“Genius, huh?” Bruce smirked. “Next time, let’s leave the cooking for me, ok?” He said as Tony looked defeatedly at his failed attempt at a hot beverage.

Kissing the top of his head, Bruce got up, ready to make some popcorn and edible hot cocoas for them.

(it wasn't so bad, to trust and love someone so much, if it was like this).


	2. the key to tin man's heart

Bruce has the key to Tony’s heart. 

This is not a metaphor.

-

It didn't happen frequently, which is maybe why Bruce didn't really realize how much it meant at first. 

The thing was: sometimes Tony asked for Bruce’s help in fixing the arc reactor. Of course, Tony had all the mechanics down perfectly, every single piece of it projected with careful attention. But, from time to time, something small went wrong, and he needed someone else to reach inside his chest and fix it manually.

Tony always apologized profusely, rambling about how he knew it was weird and a bit disgusting. He would joke and flirt, like Bruce couldn’t see the strain in his smile, the way he gripped the edges of the chair until his knuckles turned white.

“Tony,” Bruce said, making him pause in the middle of his rambling. “It’s alright. I’ve been a street doctor, you know. It’s hardly the strangest thing I’ve ever seen.” With a reassuring smile, he carefully put the arc reactor in place and kissed him in the shoulder.

“Yes. Yeah, it’s ok.” Tony repeated, but his eyes still looked haunted, even as got up and made a flirty joke about Bruce stealing his heart.

-

It turns out, it wasn't ok, not really.

Bruce knew that Tony didn't really feel comfortable with his chest. It was obvious, in the way it took him weeks and weeks until he was at ease enough to have sex without a t-shirt on. Even then, he’d sometimes cover the arc reactor with his hand, blue light shining through his fingers as he tried to hide the scars that spread from it. He would never pressure Tony to do something that made him feel uncomfortable, though, and so he never commented on it.

“Don't they bother you, though?” Tony asked as they laid in bed, while playing with Bruce’s hair. It was getting a little long, but he didn't feel like cutting it. 

“What bothers me?” Bruce ask drowsy, turning to face him. The soft moonlight glow made Tony seem almost ethereal, shades of blue playing on his face from the arc reactor. Despite that, the dull pain in his eyes was all too human to make him anything otherworldly.

“The arc reactor. The scars. The trust issues. Everything, really.” He enumerated, a self-deprecating smile in his face.

“No.” Bruce said, after thinking for a moment. This seemed important, and he didn't want his words to sound anything but truthful. “I know more than anyone what it’s like to have issues. And, besides,” He said, kissing Tony’s neck. “They make you who you are, this wonderful person I happen to be in love with.” 

Tony smiled, and it seemed just a bit more real.

-

The next time he asked for Bruce’s help, it felt different. Tony looked nervous, somehow, jittery even as he tried to stay still. Bruce didn't say anything, aware that Tony would talk about it, if he wanted to.

“Obi once stole the arc reactor, right out of my chest.” Tony blurted out, as soon as Bruce was done. “Obi was, he practically raised me, after dad and mom died. And then, when I had just gotten back from Afghanistan and built the first Iron Man armor, he took it from my chest, and left me to die.” Tony’s hands are trembling, but his voice is firm, emotionless. Bruce doesn't say a word: this was so unlike Tony, who joked and laughed even in face of death, that to interrupt him just felt wrong. “So that’s why… that’s the reason I feel so nervous when you help me. That’s the reason you’re the only person I could let touch me there.” He finished, tapping his fingers in the middle of the device.

“Oh, Tony.” Bruce said softly. There was more to this story, of course, but in that moment all he wanted was to hug Tony and never let him go, to kiss him and show how much he was loved.

So that’s what he did.

-

(Nothing was magically resolved, of course, because real life was never like that.

Tony still would try to hide his scars, sometimes, and his voice would still tremble anytime Bruce had to help him fix the arc reactor. Only now Bruce would hug him tight after that, and tell all manner of silly stories, until his eyes looked just a bit less haunted.

Things were not immediately alright, but they were… better, because now he knew he had the key to Tony's heart, and he would treasure it like the gift it was.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prompt of the day is "key" and oh god this was so hard to write. I hope y'all liked this, anyway!


	3. a thousand ways to say I love you

It starts with a tiny cactus, left by his lab table. There's a sticky note in one of it's spikes, with a crudely drawn heart in ballpoint pen. Bruce looks at it confusedly for a moment, and then at Tony, who is giving him furtive looks and trying to hide a satisfied smile.

He snorts, and places it by his notebooks and pens. The gesture warms his heart, a little, and he can't help but kiss Tony at least ten times more that day.

-

Next is a Hulk plushie (and when did people start making Avengers merch?), green and small and… cute. That certainly wasn't a word he ever expected to use to describe the Hulk. He tells Tony as much, grinning.

“I like it, though.” He adds, because it felt important for Tony to know that. “Goes well with my Iron Man plushie” Bruce teases, taking great pleasure to see Tony's eyes get as wide as saucers.

-

It didn't stop there. Next, a warm, fluffy scarf in the beginning of fall, in an obnoxious orange and purple color. It's kind of hideous. Bruce loves it.

Then, a box of expensive chocolates, the kind Bruce dreamed of eating for his whole childhood. A book in forensic psychology, after Bruce commented he one day wanted to read it. A woolen jumper in the Iron Man colors, after he shows up shivering to the lab for the fourth time.

None of the gifts were given in his hands, and Tony never talked about them. Rather, they just appeared amongst his things, like he always had them, innocuous and sweet. By the sixth time, Bruce was beyond bewildered.

“Why do you keep giving me gifts?” He asks one night, voice curious. “Not that I'm complaining, but I mean, you did already give me a whole floor and everything else. You don't need to, you know.”

“I don't think there's a why.” Tony replies, kissing the top of his head. “I just… I love you, a whole lot. And… I know sometimes I'm not very good at saying it, so I had to find another way.” He finishes. Bruce looks into his warm brown eyes and it's filled with such love, he suddenly feels his chest swell up with emotion. He feels _loved_ , and it's such a foreign, wonderful sensation, he almost can't take it.

“I love you too” he words it silently, like a plea, like a secret. It's the first time he says it, and it feels like the whole world could be a lie, all but those words.

(The next time he finds a gift in the middle of his things, Bruce would smile, the comforting weight of love settling in his chest like it always belonged there.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit late, but this is for the sixth day of Flufftober. The prompt of the day was "gift" and I decided tooth-rotting fluff was in order. Hope y'all enjoyed it!!


End file.
